The CBI apprehended a Project Director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Shillong, along with two individuals, for soliciting a bribe of Rs 12 lakh from a contractor to clear outstanding bills amounting to Rs 13.38 crore. The Project Director, Aanand Singh Chouhan, was taken into custody following a complaint by Mohd. Matlebuddin Ahmed, Director of Purvanchal Buildtech.
Chouhan’s associate, Punit, was also implicated on July 1, as per the CBI’s statement, which revealed that the NHAI official demanded Rs 4 lakh upfront as a bribe for processing the pending bill. Ashutosh Singh, DIG of CBI, ACB, Guwahati, corroborated Ahmed’s complaint with independent witnesses and confirmed that Chouhan instructed the complainant to deliver the bribe to Punit in Guwahati.
On July 1, the CBI initiated a case against Chouhan, Punit, and others based on the complaint, alleging that the NHAI Project Director sought a bribe of Rs 12 lakh to clear the contractor’s bill. Despite Chouhan directing the bribe transfer to Punit in Guwahati, another individual was designated to receive the money, leading to arrests and searches at their premises by the CBI.
In a separate incident, the CBI arrested three individuals, including two public servants from Northern Railways and a private individual, in connection with a bribery case concerning railway tender awards. The arrested parties were identified as Chief Materials Manager (Store) Narender Singh, a Senior Clerk at Northern Railways headquarters, and a representative of a private company. The agency filed a case against a total of six accused, including Deputy Chief Materials Manager Shuvashis Maity, the private company, its representatives, and other unidentified public servants and private individuals.
